Mr Maduro tells Leopoldo Lopez to give himself up after a warrant is issued
for his arrest on charges of murder, terrorism and conspiracy over protest
violence

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro branded a key opposition leader "the face of fascism" as he demanded he give himself up on charges of murder and terrorism over street protests that left three dead.

The Leftist leader accused Leopoldo Lopez of orchestrating violence at the demonstrations on Wednesday, claiming he was trying to destabilise the country as part of a coup plot similar to that which briefly unseated his predecessor Hugo Chavez in 2002.

"There you have the face of fascism!" Mr Maduro said in a speech to the nation on Thursday night, showing photos and video of Mr Lopez at the Caracas protest.

"I tell these fugitives from justice: give yourselves up! ... They should go behind bars," he declared, saying that authorities had identified both the architects of the violence and those who fired the fatal shots.

He called supporters on to the streets for Saturday but insisted no more anti-government protests would be allowed, adding: "This is not Ukraine".

Groups of student demonstrators ignored the ban as they gathered in several cities on Friday after blocking roads and burning tyres into the night.

Mr Lopez, the head of the Popular Will party who has emerged as the leader of a hardline splinter faction within the opposition alliance, also remained defiant, tweeting that he was still in Venezuela and would "stay in the streets".

The politician, who spent the day with advisers at his home in a wealthy district of eastern Caracas, taunted Mr Maduro that he was still free.

"@NicolasMaduro: don't you have the guts to arrest me? Or are you waiting for orders from Havana? I tell you, the truth is on our side."

He earlier insisted that the bloodshed was perpetrated by pro-government militant groups with the tacit endorsement of security forces, claiming Mr Maduro was playing "the violence card" to discredit his movement.

Two opposition protesters and a pro-government militant leader were killed and dozens injured when clashes broke out during rival marches in the capital on Wednesday. The violence followed two weeks of simmering unrest as hardline government opponents staged protests nationwide, amid rising anger at the country's raging insecurity and deepening economic woes.

Protesting under the slogan "The Exit" - meaning the departure of Mr Maduro from power - Mr Lopez's movement has caused a split within the opposition, threatening to send it back to the days of discord and disarray that left it languishing electorally throughout most of the past decade.

Henrique Capriles, the mainstream leader who last year managed to unite the opposition to take it to its best result in a presidential election for 45 years, distanced himself from those demanding Mr Maduro's departure.

"We will channel discontent, but I will not lie to you, the conditions are not right for the departure of the government."

Mr Capriles has taken a much more moderate, conciliatory approach to challenging the government than previous opposition leaders, whose aggressive strategy of excoriating Chavez as a deranged dictator delighted their base but failed to offer an alternative vision to win over swing voters.

"We chose this path which could be long but it's safe," Mr Capriles said on Thursday, a rebuttal to criticisms from impatient hardliners that his leadership strategy has been too timid.

Analysts have also suggested that Mr Lopez's approach could end up playing into the hands of Mr Maduro, who like his predecessor has sought to paint the opposition as anti-democratic, ultraconservative elites determined to preserve their own interests at the expense of ordinary Venezuelans.

Carlos Romero, a political analyst at the Central University of Venezuela, told AP that while the country's economy was sinking fast, the moment had not yet come for a Ukraine-style uprising.

Mr Maduro had the military on his side and Venezuelans were focused on the more pressing task of putting food on the table amid record shortages, 56 percent inflation and a weakening currency.

"The Venezuelan people want peace and stability right now, not political war," said Mr Romero, who is an adviser to the opposition alliance. "The middle class that took to the streets are the same ones who've always supported the opposition. They aren't the ones who will deliver regime change."